A number of residential telephone sets have been commercially introduced which may be called feature telephone station sets. A feature telephone station set is a telephone set having a data processor and providing a host of features. These features may include, among others, repertory dialing from a user programmable telephone directory; alpha-numeric display of telephone numbers, time, and charges; automatic last number redial; and automatic telephone answering and message storage. Such telephone sets encourage undesirable duplication of certain common elements as, for example, when more than one telephone extension set is required to provide the same features.
Discussion of a "next generation" telephone set has centered around efforts to break away from the mold of telephone set design of the past and to provide new services and features in a new environment. In an article entitled "Next Generation Telephone: Blue Sky or Solid Ground?" appearing on pages 69-73 of the December 15, 1980 issue of Telephone Engineer and Management, Paul Fleming, Technical Director of USITA, proposes that the new residential environment include a multi-wire communications bus that is accessible from any room within a residential premises. Telephone sets as well as extraordinary devices like data sets, video displays, and utility meters can be horizontally connected or vertically connected through interfaces to the residential system bus. Such new services and features as home banking, energy management, home security, intercom and toll restriction can result from such an enhanced environment.
There are problems inherent in such a system. While the conventional telephone set may be retained and employed by a telephone customer, their residence or place of business must be rewired at considerable cost. In addition, there still remains a necessity for duplication of common elements as in the previously discussed example of two or more telephone extension sets requiring the same features. While data and video links suggested in the article tend to require the provision of additional facilities such as coaxial or optical fiber cable, it is not clear in the short term exactly when such facilities will be universally available. It is urged by critics that the telephone wire and television radio frequency inputs such as are employed for teletext services are already in place and may be utilized very efficiently.